The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
I was just driving home tonight and decided to plug in my cd, George Winston's December. I've been playing it since Thanksgiving and I'm not ready to give it up yet. There are 2 songs that still bring me tremendous peace, even though I've listened to them countless times now.
To me, Variations on the Kanon by Pachelbel begins with sadness. But, it develops into surrender... and then turns into gladness. Finally, my soul is dancing as I'm driving along... feeling at peace with HP's will... feeling safe... and loved. I think it's my favorite melody for acceptance!
I also absolutely love Joy on this cd.... it brings a smile every time.
Just feeling grateful for the power of music. It was a challenging week for me and this music reminds me that unless I accept life on life's terms, I cannot be happy. Without al-anon, I never could have grasped this.
Thanks for walking this journey with me. Thanks for listening.
__________________
The prayer isn't for Higher Power to change our lives, but rather to change us.
Music is crucial to me! I think that these things have the power to transform me very very quickly (get me out of a slump/stinking thinking): listening to good music, going outside and spending as much time as possible in some kind of landscape alone, exercise alone (outside if possible), bathing and showering, eating, preparing food/making soup. It is interesting to me to notice what is NOT on my list: anything having to do with any kind of direct human contact or talking! HA!!!
I am familiar with this old but good collection- nice!! hugs, J.
In College, I listened to Leonard Cohen's Songs from a Room every night as I went to sleep. Today, over 30 years later (aaack!!!!), the songs Sisters of Mercy from that album still has the power to calm me down & get me to sleep - these days I can just imagine the words & tune in my head, & even that works. Listening to it is still better though. I can feel myself kinda sigh & relax at the end of the first verse:
"and they brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song; oh I hope you run into them, you who've been trav'lin so long..."
When I was going through my divorce, I had this sudden urge to go out and buy several Joni Mitchell CDs. I've never liked her songs, her voice, or the depression they always seemed to evoke. For some reason, that summer of my divorce Joni made sense to me. I also fell in love with Miles of Aisles, her live, jazzy upbeat album with some incredible backing musicians.
Also that summer I found myself listening to the Allman Brothers. The original Allman lineup, at Ludlow and Fillmore.. steamy sessions. None of this stuff had any past for me, it wasn't connected to my lost relationship at all. It just fit me that summer.
I haven't really listened to Joni or Duane much since. Just a little. Music is very important to me, and it always invokes memories. I think we talked about Steely Dan's "Black Cow" on this forum a while back. Outrageous, nasty lyrics - he's sarcastically chewing out his lover for her (his?) behavior, drinking, drugging, etc. In fact if you lift the thin veil of poetry, many of Donald Fagen's songs seem to be angry rants against the disease of addiction.
